Based on a survey of more than 6700 top civil servants in 17 European countries, this book explores the impacts of New Public Management (NPM)-style reforms in Europe from a uniquely comparative perspective. It examines and analyses empirical findings regarding the dynamics, major trends and tools of administrative reforms, with special focus on the diversity of top executives’ perceptions about the effects of those reforms.

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Based on a survey of more than 6700 top civil servants in 17 European countries, this book explores the impacts of New Public Management (NPM)-style reforms in Europe from a uniquely comparative perspective. It examines and analyses empirical findings regarding the dynamics, major trends and tools of administrative reforms, with special focus on the diversity of top executives’ perceptions about the effects of those reforms.

Resulting from research funded by the European Commission, this book is an ambitious, comprehensive portrait of public administration in the central European bureaucracies after more than three decades of NPM reforms and in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The chapters present extensive data on single countries but invaluably take a comparative approach, presenting a broad, explorational perspective.

Public Administration Reforms in Europe is an indispensable resource for researchers, practitioners and students in a variety of social science areas, especially public administration, public policy and public management.

‘The COCOPS Top Executive Survey in the European public sector shows how three major paradigms based on hierarchies, networks and markets dominate debates and perceptions of reforms in 17 European countries. This major comparative research demonstrates what is really happening, or not, and the effects on performance. Top civil servants will use this book to know what to do, or not, based on what works, or not.’ – Geert Bouckaert (KU Leuven), President of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences

‘This is one of the few recent public administration texts to address the really big issues. The authors pose key questions and, with the help of a valuable new comparative database, offer carefully modulated answers. Some edited collections are disappointing, but this one is important, coherent and stimulating.’ – Christopher Pollitt, KU Leuven, Belgium